THE Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) last week announced their national club championship which is set for next month at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, featuring eight of the country’s top basketball clubs.
However, it seems as though there will be a game played off the court, as one of Linden’s top basketball clubs, the Amelia’s Ward Jets, are fuming over their omission from the tournament. The Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) selected the Victory Valley Royals, Pistons and the Kashif and Shanghai Kings, which selection, according to president Abdullah ‘Zico’ Hamid, was done based on their knowledge of who will be the more competitive teams in the tournament.
Having announced that the tournament will be used as a yardstick to shortlist players for national selection, the GABF has sent the clubs and players to the gym and to every neighbourhood court and it is the intention of the Amelia’s Ward Jets, like many other clubs, to have their players represented.
“The Federation asked us for three top clubs and we gave them three top clubs,” explained Hamid, when contacted by Chronicle Sport, after receiving word from the disgruntled club that they would be appealing their case to the LABA and even further to the GABF.
The club is arguing that since they finished third in the last league played under the auspices of the LABA and ahead of Pistons, losing out to only the Royals, they should have been drafted in.
Head coach Calvin Slowe said on Tuesday that the only competition the club did not participate in was the Linden Town Week competition which was won by the Kings, because of registration problems.
“They didn’t allow us to play because of registration problems, but that’s the only competition we didn’t participate in and for all the others, our track record speaks for itself and as a matter of fact, Kings didn’t even play in the last league that we came second in,” Slowe said.
According to Hamid, he was least interested in what place the Kings finished the league, stating, “I don’t really business because what we want is the best possible teams to represent Linden.”
“Matter of fact, it wasn’t really a relegation, the team just didn’t play so, with that they (Kings) finished eighth in the league. It’s already done, they asked us for three teams we give them three teams. And honestly, you see, all they (Jets) talking, they can’t beat Kings, no time. Look, the team (Kings) didn’t play the league and came and won the last senior competition very easily,” Hamid highlighted.
The Kings have the likes of national guards Steve Neils Jr and Marvin Hartman, along with centre Jason Alonzo while for the Jets, point guard Kevin ‘2-feet’ Joseph and rising centre Damaine Webster will be looking to gain the attention of the selection committee that comprises former national standout-cum-FIBA referee Lugard Mohan.
Chronicle Sport has learnt that the Jets have not only written the LABA asking for an inquiry into their non-selection, but also  forwarded their request to the sports local governing body, the GABF.
Yesterday, the GABF responded to the Amelia’s Ward Jets through their General Secretary Ian La Fargue who in a letter stated that “the teams selected to participate in the GABF’s National Club Championships were formally submitted to us by your parent association, which is recognised as the sole authority by the Federation to declare the rankings of clubs affiliated to LABA”.
It went on to point out the GABF only recognises the three teams sent to them initially by LABA. 
La Fargue pointed out that the National Club Championships will not be the only yardstick for “selection for players to be shortlisted for inclusion in the squad to represent Guyana at the upcoming CBC games.
“The GABF is aware that your club has produced several  promising  players and assures  you  that  they  will  be considered by our technical committee based on their previous performance.”
La Fargue also mentioned that the Championships will commence on April 2 and as such, a speedy solution is needed, but closed by reminding the Jets that “the final decision remains under the domain of the LABA”.